The present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disposable absorbent article that includes side panels or fastener tabs that carry indicia cooperable with indicia carried on the outer face of the chassis or fastening surface to facilitate proper positioning of the article on the body of the wearer or for proper configuration of the diaper for disposal.
Infants and other incontinent individuals wear absorbent articles such as diapers and incontinent briefs to receive and contain discharged urine and other body exudates. Such absorbent articles function both to contain the discharged materials and to isolate those materials from the body of the wearer and from the wearer""s garments and bed clothing. Disposable absorbent articles having many different basic designs are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,092 entitled xe2x80x9cAbsorbent Article With Dynamic Elastic Waist Feature Having a Predisposed Resilient Flexural Hinge,xe2x80x9d which issued on Sep. 29, 1992, to Buell et al., describes a basic disposable diaper structure that has achieved wide acceptance and considerable commercial success.
Disposable absorbent articles are often supplied in a form that requires assembly of the article relative to the body of the wearer. Such articles generally include fastener tabs for securing the article in position about the waist of the wearer. Examples of such known structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,416, entitled xe2x80x9cDisposable Absorbent Article Having Elastically Extensible Topsheet,xe2x80x9d which issued on Aug. 6, 1991, to Allen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,775, entitled xe2x80x9cTrisection Topsheets for Disposable Absorbent Articles and Disposable Absorbent Articles Having Such Trisection Topsheets,xe2x80x9d which issued on Dec. 14, 1993, to Freeland et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,422, entitled xe2x80x9cAbsorbent Article Having an Extendible Split Core,xe2x80x9d which issued on Apr. 29, 1997, to Allen.
Proper application and positioning of a disposable diaper that is in the conventional, substantially rectangular or hourglass form is important for the comfort of the wearer, and also for the proper functioning of the diaper. Unless one is especially careful in the course of applying a disposable diaper, it is very easy to apply the diaper to a wearer in a manner that results in the diaper not properly fitting to the wearer""s body. For example, if the diaper is applied and fastened so that it is non-symmetrical, one of the leg openings that is formed by the longitudinal edges of the diaper when the diaper is applied and is worn is larger than the other leg opening. As a result, it is possible for unintended leakage to take place between the diaper leg opening and the wearer""s leg on the side of the diaper having the larger leg opening. Additionally, the smaller leg opening might be too tight about the wearer""s leg, causing discomfort. Thus, it is desirable to provide a means whereby the person applying a disposable diaper can do so simply and quickly, and in such a manner that the diaper is symmetrically and comfortably positioned on the wearer""s body. It is also desirable to provide the diaperer with a simple way to determine how the used diaper should be configured for disposal.
The matter of facilitating the proper application and fastening of a disposable diaper has been addressed by others. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,875, entitled xe2x80x9cAbsorbent Article,xe2x80x9d which issued on May 5, 1987, to Hirotsu et al., there is disclosed a positioning arrangement to aid in properly fitting a disposable diaper to a wearer. The disclosed positioning arrangement includes indicia that are provided on the outer face of the diaper backsheet, in the areas to which the tape fastener tabs are secured during application of the diaper. The indicia illustrated in that patent include a plurality of parallel, spaced, longitudinally-extending lines and a plurality of dots, each placed on and extending over a portion of the outer surface areas at which the fastener tabs are to be secured.
Another patent that discloses a tape fastener tab positioning arrangement is U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,546, entitled xe2x80x9cDisposable Diaper Having a Fastening System,xe2x80x9d which issued on Apr. 27, 1999, to Kido et al. The improvement disclosed by Kido et al. resides in placing positioning indicia between the diaper backsheet and an overlying fastener tab-landing zone. The indicia are provided by longitudinally-extending strips of colored adhesive that serve to secure the landing zone strip in position on the backsheet. The color shows through the landing strip to provide placement guidance to one applying the diaper. Kido et al. point out that their approach does not require surface printing of the backsheet, and it also precludes contact by the wearer of the printed positioning indicia.
Despite the previously-disclosed attempts to provide fastener tab positioning indicia, it is desirable to further simplify the diaper application and fastening process. In that regard, it is desirable to enable diaper application and placement of the fastener tabs to be accomplished more accurately, more quickly, and more simply. Further, it is also desirable to provide a fastening system that can serve as a source of amusement to the applier and to the wearer, and that can serve to attract and temporarily hold the attention of the wearer during application, to thereby reduce the likelihood of wearer squirming or leg movement that can impede the diaper application process.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved disposable absorbent article that includes an interactive fastening system, wherein the side panels or fastener tabs as well as the receiving zones to which the tabs or side panels are secured include indicia that facilitate positioning of the side panels or fastener tabs and that also can attract the attention of the wearer during the application process.
It would also be desirable to provide an absorbent article with an interactive fastening system that helps the user determine the proper wearing or disposal configuration by the use of predetermined complementary visual images produced when the side panels or fasteners are properly positioned on the outer cover of the chassis.
Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disposable absorbent article that is worn about the waist and lower torso. The article includes a liquid impervious backsheet having an outer, garment-facing surface and an inner, body-facing surface. An absorbent core is provided adjacent the body-facing surface of the backsheet. The absorbent core has a shape to enable the core to be placed adjacent the crotch area of the body of a wearer and has the capacity to absorb liquids and to retain solids. A flexible, liquid-pervious topsheet overlies the absorbent core,
The disposable absorbent article includes a longitudinal central axis and an outwardly-facing surface and an inwardly-facing surface. The chassis is adapted to extend from a back waist area of a wearer to a front waist area of the wearer, with the inwardly-facing surface overlying the wearer""s stomach, crotch, and lower back. The chassis includes a first waist portion and a second waist portion. A pair of side panels and/or fastener tabs extend laterally outwardly from respective edge portions of the second waist portion of the article. The side panels each carry a fastening element for engagement with the outwardly-facing surface at the first waist portion of the article for securing the article in wearing position on the body of the wearer. The first waist portion of the article includes an outwardly-facing first indicium element carried on the outwardly-facing surface of the chassis, wherein the first indicium element is positioned symmetrically with the longitudinal central axis of the chassis. The side panels and/or fastener tabs each include a second indicium element. The first and second indicium elements are visually complementary with each other to define a predetermined visual image to facilitate application of the fastener elements to the outwardly-facing surface at the first waist portion of the chassis for proper fit of the article relative to the body of the wearer.